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The year in pictures: 2023
It has been a long and challenging year for the drinks trade, but punctuated with many wonderful moments. Here db rounds-up the many events, tastings and trade fairs which have taken place across 2023.
January
Kylie Minogue visited Château Sainte-Roseline as she continued to promote her wine range. You can read our big interview with Kylie Minogue here. She spoke to db about entering the wine world, her new 0% pink fizz, and exciting plans for the future of Kylie Minogue Wines.
February
db attended a special blending masterclass with Ridgeview winemaker Simon Roberts, part of Bibendum’s Art of Wine event at Battersea Arts Centre.
On Tuesday 7 February, Jascots Wine Merchants held its annual portfolio tasting at Westminster Chapel, where they were joined by over 300 guests from the wine trade. More than 300 wines were available to taste, from producers well-established in the Jascots portfolio such as Bolney Wine Estate and Schloss Johannisberg, plus new names De Trafford, Nativo, and Spier Wine Farm from South Africa, and New Zealand’s Prophet’s Rock, the most recent addition to the company.
The Vinexpo Paris trade show (13-15 February) saw a 41% spike in visitor numbers on its opening day, but Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse was keen to stress that size doesn’t always matter most.
Held over Valentine’s Day on 14 February, Lameyse called St Valentine the “patron” of the show, and highlighted the essential role that Vinexpo’s host city plays in its success. “I want Paris to become a rendezvous, a business meeting with additional value,” he said. Continuing, he explained, “We are more than a trade show, a real rendezvous for business people; the wine trade is all about people doing business together.”
March
The Sangiovese Reset returned to London, showcasing a multitude of expressions of one of Italy’s signature red varieties. The event, took place in Lindley Hall, 80 Vincent Square and provided a full-day immersion in Sangiovese-forward wines.
First documented in 1435 near Hochheim, Riesling celebrated its 588th birthday on Monday 13 March, with The Wines of Germany team hosting a birthday party for the trade at the Opera Tavern in Covent Garden.
The 2023 edition of ProWein concluded with 6,000 exhibitors and 49,000 trade visitors flocking to Düsseldorf over the three days of the fair.
This year’s fair promised a great amount, from the return of South African winemakers after two years of travel restrictions, to the arrival of popstar and rosé tycoon Kylie Minogue. Two areas that have been receiving increasing interest in recent years, no- and low-alcohol drinks and alternative packaging, were also represented, the latter in Hall 1’s ‘World of Zero’.
April
db met Ivan Massonnat of Anjou Noir’s Domaine Belargus to discuss how terroir can profoundly alter the flavour profile of Chenin Blanc, and whether the Loire Valley could become a feasible alternative to Burgundy for consumers in search of cooler climate, single varietal wines.
Brun de Vian-Tiran managing director Jean-Louis Brun was presented with the Primum Familiae Vini (PFV) ‘Family is Sustainability’ Prize in a ceremony in Domaine du Clos des Tourelles. The family-run Provençal wool mill was selected due to its “family values, innovation, and creativity,” in the words of PFV chairman Matthieu Perrin (pictured second from the left).
May
db staff writer Louis Thomas headed to the Italian embassy in London on Friday afternoon to attend a reception for the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobridga, where the pair outlined their ambitions for the future of Italy’s agribusiness sector. To read about the occasion, click here.
This year’s db awards, which, as usual, took place on the second day of the London Wine Fair, were a “milestone event” for the drinks business, as they marked the 20th since the industry accolades were launched in 2003.
And over that time, db has witnessed – and written about – many developments in the trade, reflected in the winners of these annual awards, which are designed to reward excellence in the drinks trade, covering sectors from packaging to retail, logistics to marketing, company management to brand launches, as well as personalities – with honours for the likes of young achiever, along with man and woman of the year trophies.
Read more about the awards here.
The winemaking team at Babylonstoren were joined by db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW to showcase its rosé, which was the official wine of RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Babylonstoren launched the new 2023 vintage at the event on Monday 22 May this week, using the show for the global unveiling of the new release, which is made from Mourvèdre grown at the property in the western Cape. Here are (L-R): Klaas Stoffberg, Charl Coetzee and Jeanne Pienaar.